The Daily Beast, in an article by their Congressional Reporter Sam Brodey, explained how the Democratic congress has dealt with the failure to pass Build Back Better. Brodey wrote: “Transformational change has taken a backseat to small, hyperlocal wins like new fire stations, rebuilt dams and sewers, improved highways and bridges, better internet, and more vocational programs.
Thousands of so-called “earmarked” projects like these, scattered across hundreds of districts, were included in Congress’ $1.5 trillion annual spending bill that passed earlier this month. And Democrats believe they can spin this cash—which was a political liability not long ago—into a viable election backup plan.
Earmarks—rebranded as “member-directed spending”—returned this year for the first time in over a decade, and they couldn’t have come at a better time for Democrats.”
Those earmarks came to the schoolyard of PS 676/Summit Academy on March 22, as Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez announced that federal resources adding up to $1 million in total will be given to youth organizations in Red Hook and Gowanus.
The 11 community groups receiving Federal grants joined Velazquez on stage in the schoolyard.
Funding will be given based on their size, and will be administered through Pioneer Works.
In her remarks, Velazquez told onlooker composed mostly of friends of the organization and some press that these groups provided 4,000 youths with over 2,500 hours of programming including entrepreneurship, media, arts and music education, technology and physical education.
“These non-profits serve working class families including at risk youth,” she said. “The initiative will serve public housing residents. Each of the organizations are special and unique. Together this provides a better opportunity and hope to these children. The mission is to take care of our kids in our community.”
Each of the recipient organizations said a few words on the stage about their program.
Samora Coles, who is the founder and Executive Director of the Alex House Project, was the first to speak. Alex House serves young moms and young dads who are 25 and under living in Red Hook.
“This is just another opportunity to bridge the gap,” Coles said. “We want to make sure that our children and our parents get the success and resources that they deserve.”
Alex House envisions a world in which low-income families benefit from comprehensive support, and young mothers, in particular, successfully transition into parenthood, with access to parenting training, higher education and employment.
Brother’s Dream was the next organization. Brother’s Dream wants to help kids follow and pursue their dreams, and to educated and be there daily for the kids. The program is a day-to-day that offers sports, education and career training.
Ray Hall’s Red Hook Rise program is another one receiving funding. This organization, which started as a basketball program, was founded back in 1991.
“We then created the Books and Basketball program,” Hall said. “We promoted literacy with basketball. We used the basketball as the tool to get the kids to want to read. Literacy is the key.”
Casey Fodge, who is the managing director of Cora Dance, spoke about that organization. They offer free and pay-what-you-can programs including dance education training, internships and apprenticeships to the Red Hook youth.
“Thank you for having us and it is wonderful to see many of our students here,” Fodge said. “I am sure they are just as excited as we are.”
Dawnasia Freeman, who is the vice president of youth development and community programs at Heartshare, based in Gowanus, talked about what they do. Heartshare St. Vincent has served NYC for over 150 years.
“We provide foster care, housing services and most importantly integrated home services and youth development services for six community programs in Brooklyn, one of them being in the Wyckoff community,” Freeman said. “It is inspiring to see all these young people here. Shout out to you for prioritizing the funding.”
Martha Bowers, Executive Director and founder of Hook Arts Media, said they have been serving Red Hook since 1990. She helped organize the funding group, which combines all the nonprofits together, along with Pioneer Works.
“We have been offering free programs to almost every school and community center from kindergarteners to seniors,” Bowers said. “Some know us for our annual Red Hook Fest, which is coming back live and in person this year on June 3 and 4. We are so thrilled that this can happen.”
Maxine Petry, who is the executive director at Pioneer Works, spoke about what they do. They are a cultural center in Red Hook that serve the youth of Red Hook with STEAM programming. They offer after school programs, school field trips and school programs.
Portside is located aboard a historic oil tanker, the Mary A. Whalen, in Red Hook. They connect New Yorkers to their waterfront with a special focus on reaching the underserved. They also have a museum and educational programs.
“In terms of PS 676, Portside was their first maritime programmer and it was our program that inspired them to become maritime themed,” said Carolina Salguero, the founder and Executive Director.”
Red Hook Art Project, whose co-founder and new executive director is Tiffiney Davis, is another organization receiving funding.
“Our mission is to make sure we have space for the children to create but also to learn from each other,” David said. “It means creating spaces that not only people of color but all walks of life can share that same space to create together.”
She said the children in front of the stage were all RHAP students, and they participate in other Red Hook non-profits. She was honored to have them since they are the leaders of tomorrow.
The Red Hook Community Justice Center will be receiving the federal funding as well. The funding will support programming around leadership development, technology, education and entrepreneurship. Viviana Gordon, Deputy Director, spoke:
“Our mission is to transform the criminal justice system to make it fair, effective and humane, and improve public safety in our community,” Gordon said. “For us, those building blocks are with housing and economic opportunity. We start with our young people.”
She thanked Martha for bringing the organizations together and Pioneer Works for extending themselves to facilitate the funding.
Red Hook’s wealthiest non-profit, the Red Hook Initiative, will also receive funding. They have after school youth development programs, they create jobs and internships for young adults and they operate two urban farms.
The funding will help RHI do more youth development and augment the dormant Red Hook Hub.
Taylor Spitzer, who is the director of advancement at Pioneer Works, said deciding on the amount of funding being allocated was a collaborative effort between the organizations.
“We talked about the different community partners and what their needs are,” Spitzer said. “It is being distributed equitably amongst the 11 organizations and is based on the organizations’s budget and needs.”
Martha Powers and Dan Wiley, who is the district director for Southwest Brooklyn in Velazquez’s office, chose the different organizations that the funding went to.
“We have all agreed in advance,” Bowers said in reference to the funding. “We sat down together and agreed based on budget and programming how much each organization would get. We all signed off on it.”
“We organized a lot of the non-profits and we tried to spread as wide a net as possible to include the ones that are really delivering programs for the youth of Red Hook and Gowanus,” Wiley said.
According to Wiley, this model for allocating funds is different since there is usually a grant for one organization. It’s an innovative idea of getting one grant to improve multiple organizations.
Velazquez’s 7th district is expansive as it includes the Lower East Side, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Ozone Park and Woodhaven in Queens and out to Sunset Park in Brooklyn in addition to Red Hook. She will have nine other check presentations to other organizations in other parts of her district, but this was the first one.
“I am grateful to Martha, who approached me and said we have been having discussions among community based organizations in Red Hook about creating a collaborative, and I said that is the way to go.,” Velazquez said. “We decided to come together as a community and work with the different community based organizations. The groups have different visions but with the same intention.”
One Comment
It must be a Election Year this the only time the Dragon Lady aka Nydia comes out a throws a Bone to the community of Red Hook. She needs to go! She been in office for decades yet Red Hook looks like a Land Fill.